RV house batteries, AGM anyone use them?

[Eric Merryfield]

I am in need of yet another set of house batteries, and was wondering if AGM deep cycle batteries had been tried by others for race haulers.......I tend to run the generator from the moment I get up till bed with the trailer attached, battery chargers running, lights etc. I think the batteries on the whole tend to get overcharged and I refill the water after every race.

Its a 06 Vectra so if currently has 3 SRM-29 flooded interstates, which if I stay with flooded will be swapped out with SRM-31's.

Thanks

Eric

[jmcarter]

AGM’s like the upper food chain Lifeline brand are expensive but worthwhile but if you’re running the generator constantly they’re probably not worth the money. Unless you’re in an all electric coach lead acid batteries should cover your needs overnight until you start the coffee maker or microwave in the morning (unless you have one of the very large inverters). In fact if you’re cooking the batteries your charger is suspect, i.e. may not be going float mode once you get above 13.x volts. This tutorial may help but strongly suggest you have the charger checked (and it’s settings because different charging profiles are used for different battery types).

http://www.chargingchargers.com/tutorials/charging.html

[Eric Merryfield]

Originally Posted by jmcarter

AGM’s like the upper food chain Lifeline brand are expensive but worthwhile but if you’re running the generator constantly they’re probably not worth the money. Unless you’re in an all electric coach lead acid batteries should cover your needs overnight until you start the coffee maker or microwave in the morning (unless you have one of the very large inverters). In fact if you’re cooking the batteries your charger is suspect, i.e. may not be going float mode once you get above 13.x volts. This tutorial may help but strongly suggest you have the charger checked (and it’s settings because different charging profiles are used for different battery types).

http://www.chargingchargers.com/tutorials/charging.html

Thanks!

[340Cuda]

Eric,
Seems unusual to me that you have to add water after every race. So the suggestions to check the charger seem correct.

Do you keep a battery maintainer on the batteries between races and especially during the winter?

How long have the batteries been lasting?

My son has worked for an Interstate dealer for over twenty years. Once I get the details I will ask him about it and tell you what he says. I know they do a lot of motor home, golf cart and boat batteries this time of year.

Bill

[Eric Merryfield]

Originally Posted by 340Cuda

Eric,
Seems unusual to me that you have to add water after every race. So the suggestions to check the charger seem correct.

Cooked one bad when we were new to the MH, rotten egg smell in the bedroom for a Etown LODRS race, since then, I spray them down to clean the dirt off, and add up to the top(overfilling I am sure as it supposed to be 1/8 under, I think), using distilled water.





Do you keep a battery maintainer on the batteries between races and especially during the winter? No, can't during the year, its a few hundred feet from the house with the trailer, does have solar trickle. I didn't check the water level when I got the coach back from Cummins in Feb, put it on shore to try and keep the batteries charged and boiled out the middle battery. My bad on that one.

How long have the batteries been lasting? 2 years or so for the house and 2 years max on the engine.

My son has worked for an Interstate dealer for over twenty years. Once I get the details I will ask him about it and tell you what he says. I know they do a lot of motor home, golf cart and boat batteries this time of year.

Thanks, I know I am commiting blatant user-error with the overfilling of the water, likely misusing the charger/inverter too.



Bill

Seems unusual to me that you have to add water after every race. So the suggestions to check the charger seem correct.

Cooked one bad when we were new to the MH, rotten egg smell in the bedroom for a Etown LODRS race, since then, I spray them down to clean the dirt off, and add up to the top(overfilling I am sure as it supposed to be 1/8 under, I think), using distilled water.





Do you keep a battery maintainer on the batteries between races and especially during the winter?

No, can't during the year, its a few hundred feet from the house with the trailer, does have solar trickle. I didn't check the water level when I got the coach back from Cummins in Feb, put it on shore to try and keep the batteries charged and boiled out the middle battery. My bad on that one.

How long have the batteries been lasting? 2 years or so for the house and 2 years max on the engine.

My son has worked for an Interstate dealer for over twenty years. Once I get the details I will ask him about it and tell you what he says. I know they do a lot of motor home, golf cart and boat batteries this time of year.

Thanks, I know I am commiting blatant user-error with the overfilling of the water, likely misusing the charger/inverter too.

Eric

[Glenn Briglio]

Remove batteries from RV and trailer during winter and bring them inside home and put them on a battery maintainer.

[340Cuda]

Eric,
This is what my son had to say:

"He needs to have the inverter or whatever charges to the batteries checked out, it will also ruin AGM batteries if it is cooking regular batteries like that.

His overfilling might be making it look worse than it is. During charging the fluid level actually raises up. So if you fill them to the top of the well when they charge they will leak out of the caps. Ideal fill level should be just to the bottom of the little plastic tube that extends from the top into the fluid, that gives it some room for expansion. Some fluid usage is normal but I don't feel he should have to fill it up every time he uses it.

Also if he does want to go AGM he needs to make sure his inverter has a setting for AGM batteries. With an 06 model coach it may not have that option, but it doesn't sound like the inverter is working properly anyways."

He did not mention it but I have heard him say many times the biggest cause for short life on RV, golf cart, boat, generator, and tractor batteries is not keeping them charged over periods of no use. Of course some type of battery maintainer would work best.

Good luck!
Bill

[Eric Merryfield]

Originally Posted by 340Cuda

Eric,
This is what my son had to say:

"He needs to have the inverter or whatever charges to the batteries checked out, it will also ruin AGM batteries if it is cooking regular batteries like that.

His overfilling might be making it look worse than it is. During charging the fluid level actually raises up. So if you fill them to the top of the well when they charge they will leak out of the caps. Ideal fill level should be just to the bottom of the little plastic tube that extends from the top into the fluid, that gives it some room for expansion. Some fluid usage is normal but I don't feel he should have to fill it up every time he uses it.

Also if he does want to go AGM he needs to make sure his inverter has a setting for AGM batteries. With an 06 model coach it may not have that option, but it doesn't sound like the inverter is working properly anyways."

He did not mention it but I have heard him say many times the biggest cause for short life on RV, golf cart, boat, generator, and tractor batteries is not keeping them charged over periods of no use. Of course some type of battery maintainer would work best.

Good luck!
Bill

Thanks, Update

Turns out the house batteries were 3 seasons old, and my bad practice of overfilling certainly didn't help, Replaced them with 3 Interstate SRM-31's, got schooled by the interstate guys on what the proper acid level is, plugged it in, charger/inverter is perfect, batteries full, not charging, only drawing 4 amps for the fridge.

On to my next thing.

Thanks

Eric